Technical Field
Example embodiments relate generally to DC-DC converters. More particularly, example embodiments of inventive concepts relate to buck-boost converters capable of selectively operating in one of a buck mode, a buck-boost mode, and a boost mode, and power management integrated circuits including buck-boost converters.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, as mobile devices (e.g., smart phones, etc.) are more widely used in various fields of application, most mobile device manufacturers are trying to increase battery capacity of mobile devices to increase hours of use of the mobile devices. However, increasing the capacity of the battery included in the mobile device has a limit because increasing battery capacity of mobile devices may result in increased size of the mobile devices. Thus, to increase hours of usage, power consumption of internal devices (e.g., a processor, a memory device, etc.) of the mobile devices may be reduced by more efficiently managing power using a power management integrated circuit. Generally, a power management integrated circuit included in a mobile device includes at least one DC-DC converter that converts a voltage supplied by the battery into voltages that are suitable for the internal devices included in the mobile device. However, conventional DC-DC converters (e.g., a buck-boost converter, etc.) have relatively low conversion efficiency when a voltage level of an input voltage is relatively close to a voltage level of an output voltage.